Hospice Halifax Construction Underway

Hospice Halifax Construction Underway

October 16, 2017 (Halifax) – Construction of Halifax’s first purpose-built facility to provide end-of-life care and family support is now underway with an anticipated fall 2018 opening for Hospice Halifax.

Hospice Halifax board chair Dr. Jane Henderson said, “After years of planning and months of site preparation, it is enormously gratifying for everyone involved to see the hospice physically taking shape. In a year’s time, Hospice Halifax will be a reality, providing specialized care to the dying and compassionate support to their loved ones.”

Hospice Halifax at 618 and 620 Francklyn Street was designed by architect Anne Sinclair and is being built by Dartmouth-headquartered Lindsay Construction. Construction will continue throughout the winter with a planned completion date of early summer. The spring and summer months will also be spent in finalizing hiring, orienting staff and preparing for the first residents.

The design reflects the style of the original buildings and complements the tranquil, tree-lined streets of its South End neighbourhood. The final structure will even include some stained glass, lumber and other elements conserved from the original buildings. But as a purpose-built hospice, the design also incorporates the most up-to-date approaches to end-of-life care.

Hospice Halifax will provide for the physical, emotional and spiritual comfort of its residents. The hospice will accommodate 10 residents, each in a private, home-like room with a living area where their family and friends can visit at any time. On average those residents will be at the Hospice for approximately 21 days. Hospice Halifax will operate in cooperation with the Nova Scotia Health Authority as part of the continuum of care. Its services will be offered at no charge. Hospice Halifax will welcome and provide personalized service to those of every background, belief and orientation.

Costs for building and equipping the Hospice, including initial operating support, are estimated at $6 million. The Hospice Halifax capital campaign, now in what its organizers describe as “the quiet phase”, has already received pledges from the QEII Foundation and area Rotary Clubs, among others. The active phase of the campaign will launch in coming months and is expected to conclude in 2019.

For an overview of the project, see “A Place Like Home,” a one- and two- minute videocreated in partnership with the Nova Scotia Health Authority.

Hospice Halifax is a non-sectarian, registered charitable organization dedicated to supporting people affected by life-limiting illness, death, grief, or loss. Volunteers’ ongoing hard work and generous donor support play a key role in establishing Halifax’s first residential hospice, now under construction at 618 and 620 Francklyn Street in Halifax. For more information on Hospice Halifax or to donate online, visit www.hospicehalifax.ca.